Your East Anglian Wedding - October/November 2019 (Issue 39)

REAL WEDDINGS 39  H ayley and Ankit had rooms next door to each other at their university halls in London and became best friends straight away. Although they spent all their time together, they didn’t become a couple until 18 months later. “Ankit often likes to tell me though, that he knew we’d get married a long time before I caught on,” Hayley laughs. He popped the question a few days before Christmas on the beach at Sheringham while they were out for a walk. “He pretended to take a photo of me and when I turned around, he had the ring ready,” recalls Hayley. She said ‘yes’ of course! SETTING THE SCENE Holkham Hall was an easy choice for their big day as it held many fond memories. “I took Ankit there on his first visit to Norfolk (when we were still just friends!) and we’ve visited often since. After we were engaged, we didn’t look anywhere else as it was just the obvious place for us. It has multiple rooms that we could use throughout the day and the spaces are stunning, especially the Marble Hall and the blank canvas of the Lady Elizabeth Wing,” enthuses Hayley. LOOKING THE PART Hayley wore a bespoke lehenga by designer Astha Narang. “We were looking for something with a nod to traditional styles but easier and lighter for me to wear. I love purple and although I only had a small swatch of my chosen shade, when my outfit arrived I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out!” She accessorised with custom-made bangles to match and intricate henna patterns on her hands. For the evening she opted for a simple Dorothy Perkins white dress and hairpiece for extra sparkle. The bridesmaids echoed the vibrant theme in different coloured sarees and lehengas which they switched for matching green and red dresses later on. Ankit looked resplendent in his specially made sherwani with a silk scarf to complement Hayley’s attire. For the evening celebration he changed into a Massimo Dutti suit and Liberty tie. “I loved walking down the aisle with my brother, who took great care of me on the wedding morning,” says Hayley. “Everyone turning towards me to smile and clap was so overwhelming and it was wonderful being on the beautiful mandap for the ceremony with my parents.” ALL IN THE DETAIL The wedding was a bright colour burst of stunning shades, reflected in the wedding stationery created by Hayley’s illustrator dad Peter who created ice cream illustrations for the seating plan, table and place names. He also made an attention-grabbing order-of-the-day board with large watercolour splashes which were carried through the invites and reflected in the wedding cake design too. The coconut, lime and lemon and raspberry tiers were also decorated with brightly coloured sugar flowers. The floral arrangements added to the wow factor. “The flowers completely blew me away, we had no restriction on colours and they looked amazing,” says Hayley. The table centrepieces were a riot of beautiful blooms displayed in either low gold bowls or tall gold frames. Other personal touches included their favourite Ronaldo Norfolk ice cream as a treat